Refers to a substance that slows mental functions by reducing the brain's overall activity and alertness. Has a calming effect on the user.

Visual description

Sticky brown paste

White, beige or brown powder

Mechanism of action

Heroin exerts its effect by binding to the opiate receptors in the brain.

Routes of administration

Mainly injected. Can also be smoked or snorted.

Effects sought out by the user

Analgesia

Euphoria (heightened sense of well-being)

Sedation

Soothing

Common toxic effects

Agitation

Anorexia

Chills

Constipation

Constricted pupils

Decreased respiratory rate

Drowsiness

Dry mouth

Dysphoria (sadness, anxiety, irritability)

Headache

Itching

Muscle cramps

Nausea

Ostealgia (pain in the bones)

Reduced visual acuity

Slowing of cognitive and physical functions

Slurred speech

Sweating, clammy skin

Vertigo

Vomiting

Overdose effects

Cardiorespiratory depression

Coma

Death

Pneumonia

Stupor

Effects associated with chronic use

Absence of menstruation

Breathing difficulties

Constipation

Loss of interest in sex

Personality changes

Social exclusion

The most harmful physical consequences associated with heroin addiction depend on how it is taken, the impurities found within the drug and the addict's living conditions.

The most serious effects are usually the result of intravenous use and the use of dirty needles and syringes (skin infections, tetanus, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, etc.).

Tolerance (need to increase the dose to feel the same effect)

Develops quickly. Users can increase their dose 100-fold from the initial dose.

Addiction

Yes (physical and psychological). It can develop very quickly, within a few weeks in most cases. The risk of addiction increases when the drug is injected.

Withdrawal

Heroin addicts may become so preoccupied by the powerful need to get heroin to prevent withdrawal that it takes over their daily life. Withdrawal symptoms usually begin within 6 to 12 hours after the last use (muscle aches, malaise, watering eyes, runny nose, fever, sneezing, chills, shivering, tremors, excessive sweating, anxiety, agitated sleep). Symptoms reach their peak over the next 36 to 72 hours (abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, mydriasis (dilation of the pupils), intense drug cravings, aggression, rage, paranoid delusions, tachycardia (increased heart rate), hypertension). Most symptoms subside after about 5 to 10 days.

Onset and duration of action

Route of administration

Onset ofaction

Peak

Duration ofaction

Injected

A few seconds

10 to 20 minutes

3 to 5 hours

Smoked

10 to 15 minutes

N/A

3 to 5 hours

Intoxication management

Antidote available: naloxone. This medication is available with a prescription.

Treatment is mainly symptomatic.

Many different street drugs are sold under the same name.
Furthermore, nothing guarantees the quantity, purity or even the content of a street drug in spite of the fact that it may, in some cases, look like medication.

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